Dear Fr. Ivo I refer to the message 9 Goanet Digest, Vol 7, Issue 434 on the subject.
I am dismayed, baffled and confused as a layman. Your views on the cross are of negative nature and assisting people to sort of atheistic view. What looked like a shameful death for Jesus was actually a glorious triumph for God's plan; because it is through the cross that Jesus won victory over enemy powers, including Satan, sin and death. Their claim on us has been fully satisfied in the death of the innocent victim. They cannot demand any more than what he has already paid. They have nothing further to threaten us with. "By his death," we are told, Jesus was able to "destroy him who holds the power of death-that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3:8). Victory was won on the cross. We are walking by faith, not by sight" -2 Corinthians 5:7 If one of your very young relatives had to die, would you not keep the little booties and clothes he/she wore as a reminder for their parents? Similarly the cross is a reminder of the cost the son of God paid to liberate us from the original sin. On Good Friday we venerate the cross, are you suggesting that the church should cease this century old practise. You say Christians are not idolaters, what about the statues we have in the churches i.e. mother of Christ and all saints that are kept on the pedestal of the church? I am confused that as a theologian you seem to give message contrary to our believe. The cross is there to remind us of the price he paid. You have lots of explanation to give when you come in the presence of St. Peter at the pearly gates. Oscar C. Lobo Melbourne. ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 19:40:38 +0530 From: "Ivo da C.Souza" <icso...@bsnl.in> To: <goa...@goanet.org> Subject: [Goanet] We worship the Crucified Lord Message-ID: <018d01cd286d$5b9acb70$12d06250$@in> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" "If Christ was killed on the Cross, then it is not a thing to be worshipped. Does anyone worship the gun with which Gandhi was shot? Then why should Christians worship the Cross?" **We worship the divine Person of Jesus, not the Cross. We venerate the Cross, symbol of the epitome of love of God for humankind. Christians are not idolaters. Miracles are not superstitions. Jesus of Nazareth performed miracles. There are witnesses in the Gospels. Fr.Ivo